Cadaverous
by TechnicolorVisions
Summary: O death, where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55   Your touch filled my body with warmth, and even as I bled,all my thoughts were of you, and I knew that I loved you. JaredOC LeahOC
1. Radar

**Chapter 1: Radar**

**Kaira**

They were here. No matter where we went, no matter how many times we killed, there was always more. My palms started sweating, the moisture making them go numb from the stinging cold. Wiping my hands, I crouched smaller into the shadows. Where were they? I knew they were somewhere, and if the fire on my wrists indicated, they were close.

As if on cue, they arrived. Pulling my scarf up, I reached for my back, calming my breathing as the two figures entered the alley.

"Looks like we're in for some fun," a male voice whispered into my ear. I couldn't help but smirk as Leighton unsheathed his two weapons, rolling his broad shoulders back.

"Do try and keep up honey," with one wink, I jumped from the ledge of the building. My stomach flew into my throat, but there was no fear. There never was. The moment my feet hit the slick ground I bolted forward, my hands flashing out in well-practiced quickness, my fingers already pulling the triggers.

Mortem, or death in English. They were soulless humans who have been raised from the grave, their skin was papery white, once white teeth now black, nails sharpened like a cats, their eyes were bone white the white surrendering the pupil now yellow. They crave human flesh, and their bite can turn a healthy human being into a crazed zombie just like them. Under no circumstances are Mortem zombies, but they are very similar. Mortem eat human flesh, they crave it, it's their drug. But the big difference is, is that Mortem think, their once human compassion have turned sour, all they think about now is hurting everything and anyone around them. They are the devil's minion, the ones to do his dirty work. There is one thing that Mortem do crave more than a human dinner though, and that would be their blood. Human blood acts as a giant power boost for any Mortem, and if you're the unlucky bastard who comes across a Mortem at night, more than likely they'll compel you to become a brainless little follower, keeping you as their midnight snack.

One of the creatures lashed out at me, his fist connecting with my stomach. I doubled over, sucking in air. Pivoting on my foot I crouched and swept the ground. The Mortem screeched in shock as he fell to the ground. Acting fast I jumped on him, pinning his shoulders under my knees as I dealt out a few punches of my own. His knee made contact with my lower back, I ignored the dull pain. I grasped the handle of the black dagger strapped to my thigh, fighting to keep the demon from throwing me off.

"Sweet dreams bastard!" I growled, shoving the sharp tip right into his heart. The Mortem let out one more ear piercing scream. His white pupils meeting mine before he turned to dust. My knee's met the pavement, my chest heaving from exhaustion, the adrenaline making my ears ringing.

"Nice," Leighton fell to the ground, his back scraping against the brick wall as he breathed heavily. He sheathed his own dagger before wiping the two samurai swords on his jacket and covering them also

Nodding in exhaustion I brushed my bands out of my eyes, clicking the safety on my guns before placing them back in their holders.

"I swear to God, This is the nastiest fucking smell in the world," I grumbled, wiping the purple/black Mortem blood on my jacket sleeve before putting it back in the holder.

"Now dear Kaira, let us not use our saviors name as a swear," my head flicked up as another person entered the alley. Smiling Abiather joined Leighton and I, he crouched to the ground, smiling fondly as he passed us each a blue water bottle, "Drink up children, it's going to be a long week for you two."

Catching Leighton's eye, we gave each other a confused look. I knew better than to ever ask Abiather what he was thinking, or even what his motives are, I wasn't supposed to, just supposed to do what he says, and never question his decisions. No matter how hard some of his demands were, I always carried them out. So without a rebuttal I raised the bottle to my lips, the thick liquid coating my mouth and throat, metallic to the taste, but immediately my body accepted the gift, my scrapes and bruises slowly disappearing, my energy restoring.

As I finished the last drink Abiather took the bottles back and stood, "Let's go."

Warm water pounded my shoulders as I stood under the shower head, enjoying the sensation of my muscles relaxing. When we had arrived back at the small run down house Abiather had requested a meeting before Leighton and I cleaned up, sitting us down in the living room he started us as we always did, having us all bow our heads and saying a short prayer before looking up and smiling at us.

"It has come to my attention, that our services are needed here for a little while longer," Abiather started, "this town has some connection, some kind of drawing, to the Mortem. As you both have noticed, in the last two weeks that we have been here, there have been many more Mortem sightings then any of us are used to."

Making sure we were still listening to him, he continued, "So it has been told to me, that we must try and figure out this connection, and rid the world of it. It is our sacred duty. We must protect His flock," Abiather closed his eyes as he touched the crucifix that hung around his neck. Meeting out stares he smirked, "starting tomorrow, you two shall resume your lives before you were Risen."

Abiather's words had shocked me, it has been fifteen years since my rising, and I have not lived by normal means since then. To be starting school, to pick up where I left off, well I would rather be facing an army of Mortem then the trials of teenagers. A second death sounded like a god sends at this point. A second death though?

Fifteen years ago, I died. I was seventeen years old when "it" happened. "It" was my death, my memory of it wiped the day I was Risen. Just as Mortem are undead, having been brought back from the dead, so am I. The only difference is, is that I am one of The Risen, someone chosen by God to help rid the world of evil, to be graced with my soul back. And just as Mortem, I drank human blood, though it was against my will. Human blood kept me alive, helped preserve my body and heal it. Without human blood I would fall ill and die again. Abiather rose Leighton and I, he is our "Father", the one who watches over us and relays the Lord's messages.

Abiather was a Soul Kindler, which in short terms means, he can raise the dead, in this case, me. You see, Abiather can bring Leighton and I back as many times as he pleases. There have been battles that Leigh and I have not won, in the end, instead of us killing the Mortem, they killed us. And there comes Abiather, saying his prayer and bringing us back from the darkness. Each time it happened though, the images of the dead became clearer and clearer to remember, each time it seemed as though death was anything but peaceful. But no matter how it chilled my bones to visit the grave, I had to do as Abiather wanted, and fighting as hard as I could made sure that I would not be visiting again anytime soon.

"And what are your thoughts of becoming normal people again?" Leighton asked, not bothering to knock as he entered the bathroom, already stripped to a towel around his waist.

"Can you knock?" I snapped, quickly wrapping the towel around me.

"Oh please Kai, it's not like I haven't seen it all before," he winked before stepping into the shower, the bathroom filling again with vapor, "Now answer my question."

Wiping the mirror I gazed into my reflection while answering. "It should be interesting."

Leigh snorted, "Mhm K, what are your real feelings?"

"It fucking sucks," I muttered, smirking as he laughed.

"Understatement of the year," He added.

Running a comb through my hair, we fell into comfortable silence. Staring into the mirror I tried hard to remember what high school was like, though nothing came to mind, I knew that it would be hell of a lot different now than it would have been so long ago.

"You going to stay under the radar?" I asked while pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms and an old sweatshirt.

"You know it baby," Leighton winked as he got out of the shower. As I gave him a serious glare he ran a hand through his dark wet hair, touching my face he looked down, his brown eyes becoming serious. "I promise you that I will stay under the radar, alright?"

Nodding I sighed, enjoying the warmth from his hand. Smiling lightly he kissed my forehead before leaving the bathroom. Placing my hands on the cold porcelain sink I stared at myself. My long dark hair, olive skin tanned from training outdoors, grey eyes. Saying a quick prayer that I would blend in I started to my room, falling into a dreamless sleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

**Jared**

There were a lot of things that I enjoyed doing. Hanging with the pack, playing football, wrestling in the forest, eating at Sam and Emily's, all things that I loved to do. Going to school, well let's just say it wasn't on my top ten list. If it had been my decision, I would have skipped the first day altogether, but with an order from Sam I got up and headed to the hell hole.

Every year it's the same thing, the same people. The same drama and same boring classes. Only difference was that this was officially my last year and Sam figured that I shouldn't miss it, especially since I usually had to skip for pack duties. Not this year though, supposedly he was going to try and cut down on all the work us wolves had to do. He promised us a more relaxing meeting, with fewer patrols, and more chances to live or lives the way we wanted to. As much as I wanted a relaxing year, I highly doubted that Sam would be able to stick to his promise. So instead of arguing I nodded and silently came up with plans to skip.

"Seriously, what the fuck is he even talking about?" Paul muttered angrily as we sat in the back of our English class. Mr. Thomas had the tendency to start every year off by threatening his students, he was known for kicking students out of his class and yelling every class period. With his short fuse, he was the one teacher you did not want to upset. Even Paul and I weren't stupid enough to get on his bad side.

"How much a dumbass you are probably," I smirked at Paul as he flipped me off once Thomas had turned around.

"You will fill out these papers and talk **silently** when you are **done**," Mr. Thomas snapped before sitting down in his chair and starting reading his book.

"What are you doing after school?" Kim asked as she turned around in her chair. I smiled at her, my senses filling with her wonderful floral scent.

"He's hoping you," Paul smirked and covered a laugh as I jabbed him in the side.

"Probably just hanging out, you want to do something?" I asked my imprint, smiling once again.

"If course," Kim said in a 'duh' sounding voice. She played with a curled end of her black hair as she finished filling out the paper work.

"How was North Carolina with the cousins?" I scratched out a mistake and looked up to meet her dark gaze.

"Amazing!" she beamed, "I missed being able to spend time with all of them. My uncle owns this huge lake house and we got to go swimming every day. We had campouts and went hiking. And the last week we were there we got to have the whole family over for a week long reunion. We played games and hung out. It was just like old times."

I couldn't help but smile as she did too, "It sounds like you had a lot of fun."

"I did," Kim smiled, her eyes twinkling, "it would have been better if you were there too though?"

"I missed you too," I read the hidden message in her last statement. Smiling, she leaned forward and kissed me quickly. My lips tingled as she drew back, smiling broadly as she doodled on a piece of paper.

"And what reason do you have to be coming into my class uninvited?" the room became silent as Thomas yelled.

Looking up I saw who was receiving Thomas' wrath, confusion swirling around the room as we set eyes on the two strangers.

"Here," the boy shoved two pink slips at Thomas who scanned them quickly.

"Leighton Taron?" Mr. Thomas asked and the boy, Leighton, nodded. He was as tall as me, and had the same muscle, though he seemed to be leaner then any of the guys in the pack were. He had dark brown hair, tanned skin, and was smirking at Thomas. "And, Kara ?"

"It's Kaira," the girl snapped as the boy snorted. I glued my eyes to her as she snapped at the teacher. She wore jeans and a black long sleeve shirt, old converse adorning her feet, a jacket slung over her arm. Her grey eyes drilled into her companions as he smirked at her.

"Kaira," Thomas said slowly, sending her venomous look, "and where are you two from?"

"Denver," the two answered in unison, Thomas nodding slightly.

"Are you two siblings?"

"No," no more information was given as the two new comers both waited for Thomas to let them sit down.

Without saying anything, Thomas handed them the papers and gestured for them to sit down.

"Way to be a bitch K," Leighton muttered as they sat down at the table in front of us.

Kaira said nothing as she leaned over her paper, her ponytail shifting so it was over her shoulder. I froze as I caught her scent. She smelled of earth, oranges, and….and blood.

Quickly I looked over at Paul, he wore the same expression I did, his face contorting to anger as he stared at the back of Leighton's head.

"Can you stop trying to burn a hole in my head? Seriously," Kaira turned around and snapped. Kim flinched back, dropping her stare as the new girl glared at her with those sharp grey eyes.

Anger swelled in my chest as I opened my mouth to say something. Kim's hand found mine under the table and she squeezed it, "I'm sorry, staring is rude."

"Damn right it is," Leighton winked at her before turned and bowing his head next to the new girls.

Class flashed by in a flash, Paul and I watched Leighton and Kaira leave before getting up. Kissing Kim goodbye I rushed to the exit with Paul, the moment our feet hit the ground we shifted, my head clouding over with the animal instinct.

_"Bloodsuckers," Paul growled, his thoughts shifting to how the two new kids smelled._

_ "They smell like it," I clenched my jaw tightly as I remembering that girl scaring Kim. "Sam was fucking wrong about this year being peaceful."_

**A/N:** Alright guys, this was the first chapter, more is to come very soon, marching season has now come to an end so I have a few weeks before I start up with winter guard, tell me what you think of this story. Some drama will be happening with Jared; well of course I did pick him for a special reason. And don't worry, there will be some Kaira/Leighton and Pack interaction coming up very soon! Thanks for reading! :)

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	2. Friends

**Chapter 2: Friends**

**+Kaira+**

I used to think that fighting Mortem was the most unsettling and energy burning task I would ever have to do, I was wrong. High school was nothing like I thought it would be. Though La Push high wasn't very big, it still seemed overwhelming to me. With its crowded hallways, loud obnoxious students, and consistent buzzing of the intercom, I was sure I might commit suicide at some point. The only reason I was able to get through the day was because Leighton had been constantly at my side. And though he portrayed a calm and cool exterior, through our bond I was able to feel his confusion and irritation.

The "bond" that kept me going was actually the psychic link between us. No we couldn't read each other's minds, but it allowed us to keep track of each other, allowed us to know what the other was feeling, but it was mostly there so we could keep tabs on each other during a battle that was what made The Risen such strong warriors. Our ability to work together with a partner overwhelmed the Mortem, who attacked as individuals, never helping one another. Though the bond was useful during battles, it wasn't any help during training.

"Fuck," Leighton cursed under his breath as I struck out with my hand, fingers clawed, scraping roughly against his cheek. Using the time he took to wince from the sting, I kicked out, aiming for his side.

No such luck, L could read my strategies too well. His hands shooting out, he grabbed my leg, using the momentum to shift my weight, causing my other leg to buckle from the sudden jolt. I fell to my back, the air whooshing from my lungs as Leighton landed on top of me.

"I like this position K," he panted, smirking devishly, the white wife beater clung to his sweaty body.

"Then you'll love this even more!" I snapped. Wrapping my leg around his waist I pushed off the ground, forcing us to roll over. L's eyes popped open as I now stared down at him, my fake dagger pointed directly at his heart, "What now bitch?"

Leighton burst out laughing holding his hands up in a sign of defeat, "Okay you win this one."

I couldn't help but smile as I let the dagger fall to the ground, shifting so I was straddling his hips. "I do believe I broke the tie," I stated, smiling proudly.

"You have, huh," Leighton raised himself on his elbows, smirking; "Don't worry Kai, by tomorrow, we'll be tied again."

"Oh you keep believing that sweet heart," patting his cheek I stood, shaking my hair free from its ponytail. "Have fun cleaning," I waved absentmindedly while walking into my room, smirking as L cursed at his defeat task.

The bed felt like a haven as I fell to my back, staring at the cracked white ceiling. Everything about this place, form the constant raining, to the kids at school had wound my chest tighter and tighter. There was something going on there, and I wanted to know what it was. Though common sense told me that I was over exaggerating, wanting to find a reason to worry, my Risen sense told me that there was indeed something going on at La Push High.

Sighing deeply I pushed myself up, unwinding the black rosary from my wrist and falling to a kneel in front of the small bedside table. Striking a match, the saint candle came to life, filling the room with a scent of cedar wood. Abiather had told me that since god raised me for a purpose, I needed to be grateful and show him respect and love and compassion every day. Though I had no recollection of ever being religious in my first life, I was now. There was beauty hidden in this world, in nature, in people. But even though I was taught to forgive, that I was to love even my enemies, there was a black hatred that consumed my soul whenever I thought of Mortem, whenever I heard stories of the horrible things humans could do to each other.

Enough! I mentally scolded myself as I pressed the cold crucifix to my lips, now is not the time to be having such horrible thoughts. Swiping my mind clean of those malicious thoughts, I bowed my head and started my prayers.

**+JaredPOV+**

Sam didn't believe us, he never did. To Sam the world was peaceful, and even though we were enemies with bloodsuckers, he chose to turn a blind eye to their kind and follow Jacob and his love for the sick creatures. When Paul and I had replayed the scene to him, our Alpha merely shook his head, dismissing us with the scold that we shouldn't be quick to judge. I stalked away angrily, teeth clenched so hard that I was sure I cracked a tooth. Paul was right behind me, cursing his superior the moment he shifted back to his human form.

"Why can't he fucking believe what we saw?" He snapped, fist connecting with a tall pine, the branches quaking under his wrath. I had no answer for him, my own anger keeping any sarcastic comments at bay. "No human smells of blood the way they did! They. Are. Vampires!"

"And your proof would be?" I snapped my eyes to Leah as she walked from the trees, arms crossed as she smirked at us. "Without any proof Sam will never believe you."

"Go away Leah, we don't need your bitchy comments at the moment," I growled, fisting my hands.

She smirked before leaning back against a tree, "Down boy. I was just going to make a suggestion, offer some help."

"And why the hell would you help us?" Paul breathed deeply, calming himself.

"Because I believe you guys," hell must have frozen over. Leah Clearwater, believed Paul and me? The two people in the pack, that she hated the most.

"Why?" I asked, Paul mirroring my own confusion.

"Because I ran into someone in town today. His name is Abe Walker; supposedly he's going to start teaching at the high school. Your new history teacher or something like that," Leah answered. I motioned for her to elaborate. "He seemed human, but when I smelt him, he smelt of blood and….and of death."

Leah bowed her head at the last word, obviously remembering the experience. My eyes met Paul's, nodding slightly. Sighing deeply I swallowed, "Alright, what are we going to do about this?"

"Obvious isn't it?" Leah questioned finally looking up. "We don't have Sam to back us up, and we sure as hell can't have too many of us trying to figure this out. So we need to do this ourselves, just the three of us. We need to find solid proof that they really are bloodsuckers."

"And how do you plan on doing that genius?" Paul snapped. "Are we going to go up to them and be like 'hey bro, are you a bloodsucker? Really? Awesome!'"

Throwing him an acidic look Leah shook the hair from her face. "No boys. We are going to befriend them."

A smile slowly contorted over my face as I realized Leah's intentions.

"Tomorrow boys," Leah smirked, "you will both become very close with the bloodsuckers. Best friends in fact."

"Leah Clearwater," I started, "you might be a bitch who I can't stand, but at least you're smart." Leah merely smirked before turning on heel and walking away.

I've done a lot of strange things in my life. I've turned into a huge dog, battled against vampires, and watched as one of my good friends imprinted on a baby. But what I was about to do now couldn't even match up to those experiences. Never in my life had I willingly tried to befriend someone who was so different, someone who made my skin crawl to even be near them. But here I was, doing just that.

Kaira , she was my mission according to Leah. Le believed that I was more approachable then Paul, which I couldn't help but to agree with. The only problem with Leah's plan was that Kaira was never by herself, everywhere she went her follower went. Leighton, he was a problem. Paul had tried talking to him, and they seemed to get on well enough, but the moment Kaira walked past the classroom Leighton became serious and turned back to the lesson.

The new plan was to try and get each of them on their own, that way it would be easier to try and talk to them unfortunately we had both been failing at this throughout the day. I couldn't help but give a sigh of frustration as I fell onto the worn couch in the back of the library. It was getting ridiculous, maybe Leah was wrong, maybe the only thing we could do was corner the monsters and force them to admit to us what they really were.

"Sorry," someone whispered as their bag knocked into the back of my head.

"No problem," my thoughts halted as the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. Twisting around I clenched my jaw as I saw who had hit me. It was Kaira, sitting at the table near the frosted window, tapping the end of her pen against a closed notebook. I swallowed down the wave of nausea that swept through me as her strange scent slowly traveled towards me. Every cell in my body screamed to turn around, mind my own business, and walk away. But for some strange reason I couldn't help but stare at her, something in my mind told me to watch, that there was something utterly fascinating with this strange girl.

Kaira sat staring out the window, watching as the rain slowly ran down it, the glass frosting over. She reached out and wiped away the fog with her jacket sleeve before crossing her arms around her tightly. Her long hair was pulled back into a loose ponytail, pieces spilling out. Her eyes, almost looking ghostly white because of the dim lighting, stayed transfixed on whatever was outside. Her whole body was tense, as though at any moment she was ready to jump up and run away.

Swallowing I finally pushed myself to stand, walking silently to the back of her chair. Clearing my throat she looked up suddenly, her jaw clenching as I took the seat next to her, facing Kaira and smiling slightly. "I'm Jared Talon. I don't think I've introduced myself to you yet. We have English together."

Kaira's mouth parted slightly before she blinked and answered, "I'm Kaira ."

I allowed myself to relax, "So why did you move here from Denver."

"My, uh, guardian got offered a job here," Kaira said after a slight pause. She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and I swallowed heavily as once again her scent washed over me. It still was tinged with the undeniable scent of death, but there was something hidden there. She smelled of old cedar wood and roses. Silently I inhaled deeper, the three clashing smells making my head spin.

"Oh isn't he the new history teacher?" I asked taking deep breaths to calm my spinning head.

Kaira nodded, "Yes, but he won't start until tomorrow."

We fell into silence as I tried coming up with something else to say. Kaira turned her gaze from me to the window again, her fingers clutching to the ends of her jacket tightly. When she spoke it shocked me, "Is it always raining here?"

"Usually," I whispered back following her gaze. Sighing she leant forward, knocking her pen to the table. I reached down to grab it at the same time she did. Her icy hands shocked me, making me drop the pen again before she hurriedly grabbed it again. Kaira stood suddenly, forcing her things into her bag, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"I'll see you later," her voice had lost the soft edge it had as we were talking. Just like when she had been snapping at Kim, there was a sharp tone to it, hardened like ice.

"Wait," I reached out and grabbed her elbow. Racking my brains I came up with something, "There's a bonfire tonight, most everyone in our grade goes. You should too."

Kaira looked down at my hand to my face. Her grey eyes softened a bit as she bit her lip. "We'll see."

I smiled brightly at her, "Well I hope to see you then."

Nodding she turned on heel, walking silently away, I caught her meet Leighton at the door, he placed an arm around her shoulders before they both turned to look at me and then walked away.

I twisted my hands together, still feeling the chill of her skin. But for some reason, I couldn't help but wonder if it was from the weather that made them that way, or if it was because of her being a bloodsucker. Slowly her unique scent disappeared, allowing my head to clear. I leaned back in the chair, flicking the reading lamp off. There was something about her, something that made me think of her face, of the way she had looked out that window. Kaira , in the corner of my heart it softened, as though it was feeling regret or sadness for her. That there was some kind of hidden story of her that I shouldn't overlook.

"Hi there handsome," I jumped as Kim suddenly slid onto my lap.

Instinctively I wrapped my arms around her, now breathing in the floral fruity smell that clashed with Kaira's so much. "Hi beautiful," I kissed her forehead as Paul joined us at the table.

"So have you made any progress in the plan?" He asked, folding a paper into an airplane.

"Yeah or at least I think. I told her to come to the bonfire tonight. Thought it might be a way to get the others to see what we see," liar. A tiny voice rang in my head. Liar? I didn't even know what it was talking about, but I still pushed it back.

"Good, I told Leighton the same thing," Paul nodded, "It looks like we're in for a long night."

I squeezed Kim tighter to me as I nodded in response. Looking out the window I caught sight of a dark shape staring at me from the edge of the woods. Another shape joined it, and together they retreated back into the forests depths. For some reason, fear didn't course through my veins, instead I felt calm, as though they were of no immediate threat. And for some reason, that scared me more than thinking they could be of something evil.

As we left the school I glanced once more to the woods, Kaira's face came to mind, and the fear that had been evident in her eyes now ran through me.


End file.
